A £500million takeover affecting the European operations of Findus Group leaves the food giant’s troubled Fraserburgh and Grantown operations still facing uncertainty.
Findus is selling its mainland European business to Birds Eye owner Nomad Foods but the deal does not include its Young’s Seafood sites in the UK.
Young’s is currently consulting staff in Fraserburgh and Grantown, where it employs 900 and 25 people respectively, including 400 agency workers at the bigger Buchan site, over threatened closures.
No final decision about the future of the factories or job cuts will be made before the end of the formal 45-day consultation.
An emergency task force was set up by Scottish Government ministers in the wake of the announcement that Young’s operations in both Fraserburgh and Grantown could close.
There are hopes the Fraserburgh factory, which had seemed doomed after Sainsbury’s ended a big smoked salmon contract, and 250 jobs may be saved.
Young’s has been trying to find a buyer for its smokehouse in Grantown.
Findus is one of Europe’s biggest frozen food and seafood companies, with more than £1billion in annual turnover and 6,000 employees.
Nomad is stumping up £400million in cash and 8.4million shares to buy the mainland European operations from Findus’ private-equity owners.